


Late Thanksgiving

by Iammissingautumn



Category: bandstand - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 14:24:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16725096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iammissingautumn/pseuds/Iammissingautumn
Summary: Jimmy is invited to go to spend Thanksgiving with his dead ex-boyfriend's family by his parents. Scared to tell the only people that remind him of a family he is dating his bandmates, they make awkward conversation everyone as he worries about his partners at home. Not to mention, he brought someone along.





	Late Thanksgiving

 

 

The text made him cuss, low and shaky, scared. He almost wanted Julia to punch him now. He ignored how he felt he was being attentively stared at. Jimmy watched as texts went through his phone and his panic rose, he left and this happened. Sure he couldn’t control Will but if he was there he would surely try to do something. His breath quickened as he typed in another text, _what a **fucking** mistake_. All of it, fucked. He could feel tears prickling at his eyes and if another fucked up thing to fuck them up was happening he didn’t know what he could do not being there. Staring till his phone was taken away from him gently, he let it go knowing the intent.

“James…?” Finn tried, Jimmy continued looking down at his lap. Away from making eye contact. Sure he could cry to him about how he was terrified he was being forgotten, he could cry as he explained his other relationships. But he had cried over those things many times before. This, this just happened. He couldn’t think- he didn’t know what to say. “Can I?”  
Jimmy nodded, knowing even without seeing him raise the phone slightly in an indication he was asking to read the texts. Jimmy braced himself, smiling slightly at how he said his real name. He bit down on his lip as he rubbed his eyes, hoping his avoidance of tears wasn’t obvious.

“Last time Nick left during a big problem like this I thought he died, or- … got seriously injured… Like Aaron” Jimmy spoke after a moment, still avoiding eye contact.  
“James, look at me” Jimmy kept his head down, realizing Finn wouldn’t go on if he didn’t bring his look, so he listened. “He’s going to be okay. You're okay, they’re going to be okay. Let’s turn it off for a bit… like on Monday”

Jimmy nodded slightly, wiping his eyes once more. Watching as Finn looked down at his phone, turning it off with a click. Sitting in silence for a moment. A normal conversation turned into something much sadder, interrupted by people who were hours away from them.  
Jimmy wondered if he should go back.

“Let’s keep your phone off, okay? Go talk to Eleanor and Henry, you shouldn’t hide from them” Finn told, so far everything went smoothly, they were sleeping in the same room and had been unpacking. Entertaining themselves by singing songs they used to know and sharing stories. Many of Jimmy’s centering around his newly revealed partners.  
“Yeah… yeah, you’re right. let’s head out there. And you can keep that.” Jimmy told, standing up and holding his hand out for Finn to take. Heading out to the kitchen once they were both up. Concerns of what was happening with Nick lingering in the back of his head.

“Hello, boys! Done already?” Eleanor asked, turning to them as she leaned over the island in the kitchen. Her smile being nothing besides warm and friendly.

“Yeah Mrs. Miller, I’m keeping most of my stuff in my suitcase just so it’s easier to find clothes. Oh, is Thanksgiving a fancy thing for you guys? I wasn’t sure what you guys wear and I haven’t been to a whole family one since before I was serving, I was wondering what to wear” Jimmy asked, not being able to help the smile on his face. Melting into something almost familiar, like what he remembered home to feel like. But much safer.

“Don’t worry about it James, nothing too fancy. We don’t have a dress code but it’s above casual” Henry told, words much more gentle than anything he had heard from his own brash father.

“Come, sit down you two. They call you Jimmy right? Your friends?” Eleanor asked, moving back to what she was cooking. He chuckled at the question, remembering the call in which Donny had decided to loudly call for him from the living room. He ignored Finn's look of slight confusion.

“Yeah, my old friend Michael started it, it’s a popular nickname for people with the name James I guess and I wanted to rebel against my parents. A group of my friends still call me it because one of them knew me since high school and it stuck with them. My parents don't talk to me much anymore so when I started college I didn’t find bother in being called James.” Jimmy explained, a small ramble to explain such a simple thing as his name. Almost wishing he could call Michael an ex, his ‘friends’ being, in reality, his partners. It would feel like coming out a second time if he explained it. He didn’t want to deal with that. He trusted them, they made him feel at home, he didn’t need to say anything about them all being _together_ together. No need to jeopardize a good relationship with people he cared about.

“Ah, that makes a lot of sense. Aaron only ever called you James in his letters… What did you two for actual thanksgiving?” She asked, moving over and opening a cabinet and bringing a bag of potatoes out and giving them two peelers. “Can you two peel this for me?”

“Yeah, I spent it at my friend's mom’s place. Helped cook a bunch of food with them and we hung out” Jimmy told, grabbing the trash and moving it next to them. Noticing how Finn seemed to shrink into himself at the question.

“But uh… yeah. Do the other people in your family know we’re here” Jimmy asked, changing the subject so Finn wouldn't have to answer. Giving him a glance as he took a potato, feeling the slight tension in the room shift.

“A few of them do, but I’m not sure everyone does… not many heard of you from before. Most of his outer family didn’t call or write to him often.” She told as she continued to put together a dessert that looked delicious despite him not recognizing it.

The room fell into silence as Aaron’s parents continued cooking and the boys peeled potatoes. A year ago, a month ago, two weeks ago he would never have thought this is where he would be after Thanksgiving; helping cook to spend his second Thanksgiving with Aaron’s family.

“So… how long have you two been together?” Henry asked, which made Jimmy freeze. He was sure he could feel the blush spreading through his body. It was joking before when Julia talked about it but… was it really a thing to be confused about?

“Henry” Eleanor hissed, hitting him softly with the rolling pin in her hand. Jimmy wanted to say how they weren’t, assure them it was okay but his mind raced as his body stayed frozen.

“It’s okay Mrs. Miller, it’s… not like that. Sure, I‘m bisexual but we definitely aren’t dating. We've only become close friends recently and he invited me here because I had nowhere else to go for yesterday.” Finn explained, putting his hand on Jimmy’s arm for a moment. Hoping the small contact would calm him down a bit, and it did. Jimmy gave him a look, hoping it said how thankful he was for him helping out.

They sat in silence for another moment, the awkwardness of the small exchangement before made no one comment. But Jimmy wished he could have said something. No one in his family knew he was dating Donny besides his parents. He was pretty sure if they knew about his Nick or Johnny or any of the others they would have a heart attack. If any other person in his family knew about it they wouldn’t tell openly, only behind closed doors. Like the cowards the often proved themselves to be. Since his parents basically forced him to cut contact with everyone.

“Hey, James… I was wondering, I’ve got a few boxes of things that used to be Aaron’s. We got rid of a bit after he passed out but… there’s a bit more we can’t keep all of and was wondering if you could look at them. I have photos and a lot of things from when he was a kid. I thought you could possibly want to take a look.” Eleanor told, turning to pay her attention to him. Jimmy thought it over for a moment then nodding.

“That would be perfect Mrs. Miller, seriously… It would mean a lot to me if I could.” Jimmy told, thinking about it made his heart race. Not in a bad way, and not a particularly good way. But it meant something, the idea of being able to have a bit of Aaron, physically with him.

 

* * *

 

 

 

“I tried to text him, to see if he was okay… Nothing. I hope they both are, Wayne and Nick. I just… I know Julia is probably working it all out, talking to Wayne and trying to get Nick and him okay. I just don’t want them to get hurt” Jimmy told as he laid down in the dark room. They had made a bed on the floor from pillows and blankets after Jimmy insisted on taking the floor and Finn have the bed. They both were now on the ground, out of stubbornness. It reminded him a mix of falling asleep on the deck as Aaron and he looked to the stars, and Michael setting up a bed on the floor so they could watch movies as an excuse to make Jimmy forget about whatever test was coming up the next day.

“Do you want me to keep it over here until anything is said? I don’t want you not sleeping because you’re staring at a screen” Finn told, rolling on his side to ~~probably~~ face Jimmy. The only light coming in through the window which faced the street. Offering light whenever a car passed by and the street lamp’s grazing the room with artificial dim lighting. Jimmy slid his phone on the blanket to him, despite the fact that they weren’t too far from each other.

“Thank you for letting me come with you here... I usually just ignore holidays and sulk in my dorm,” Finn told softly, trying to keep humor in his voice despite how true and sad the statement was.

“You being here is helping me much more than you know. Being alone here would have been… hard” Jimmy told, and sure Julia had asked to come and he loved her but she was a constant with his present life. He didn’t know if he could share all of his past with them. He loved her but overbearing could be her middle name sometimes.

“That’s nice of you to say but don’t brush off my thank you. Sincerely, thank you” Finn told, slightly nervous since he really meant it. Smiling when he heard the small and quiet “you’re welcome” from where Jimmy laid. Both basking in the silence that came after that, tired already from the long drive and barely any sleep from the night before.

“You never told me you were bi…” Jimmy didn’t know what he wanted out of that, but he felt it would have been nice to know beforehand. Considering he had cried to him about one of his boyfriend’s just earlier that week.

“James… I thought it was sorta obvious. I don’t hold back comments when I’m talking to you and I went to you for the first project we did together because you had that pin. Made me feel safe.” Finn told, not knowing if that was the best way to word everything. Jimmy nodded, not knowing what to say in response to that, so he said the wrong thing to switch the conversation.

“They… don’t know you’re here… just so you know. I never got around to telling anymore” Jimmy told, his words felt strange as he confessed to something he wasn’t sure if it was good or bad.

“You should probably tell them,” Finny told back, not entirely sure what to do with that information. Just glad Jimmy said something about it.

“Yeah… thank you for letting me talk to you about all the drama in my life” Jimmy spoke, looking at the ceiling as if he could see his words coming from his mouth as they went up.

“Go to sleep Jay,” Finn told. Even in the dark gripping the other man’s phone. Making sure to be able to see if anyone sent a text. Even as the bother drifted to sleep, Jimmy hoping his boyfriend’s were okay and Finn praying tomorrow wouldn’t be a mess.

 


End file.
